Today's Rant

Okay, so I don't usually get on a jag about things too much, but here's something that's been really bothering me. I was listening to my usual local christian radio station this morning and the news guy was reporting that the National Methodist Conference or something like that was in a controversial quagmire because a gay man had wanted to become a member of this church. The Pastor refused to allow him membership because he was not repentant of being gay. Is being gay the ultimate sin, or did I miss something? I mean, I wonder how many members are in that church who have committed adultery, left their spouse and are now with the new person. Are they going to repent, leave that person and try to beg forgiveness and reconcile with their former mate? Or how about a church member who becomes addicted to alcohol or prescription pills? I say throw 'em all out! God forbid we should open a discussion on glutony. UH-OH, there goes the new addition to the building with the full gym and indoor pool because half your church just got banned. Don't ever misunderstand me. I think the homosexual lifestyle is a path to sure and eternal death, but we, as a church body, cannot shut people out because our Lord definitely wouldn't have. Why would a person ever want to repent if they're not accepted with open arms?If they have those feelings it doesn't mean they have to act on them. It's no different than if I see a pretty girl and have a momentary lustful thought. Do I feel bad? Yes. But I repent and go on. I don't act on it. Same goes for eating. I enjoy food, but I know better than to eat like I did when I was a kid or else I'd probably croak in a few years. End of rant.

Forgiveness

I don't know about anyone else, but that's probably the hardest (or one of the hardest) hurdles for me to get over. What's interesting is that if it's just an acquaintance, it's easier for me to forgive. Is that because I just don't care? He asks us to love everyone the same.
I do believe this much; Even if you forgive, I don't think it let's the other person off the hook for the responsibilities of their actions. In other words, the previous Pope went to a prison and met with the man who tried to kill him back in the late 80's(I think). He forgave him of the act, but the man still had to do the time. I must have some narcissistic tendencies because isn't forgiveness really to heal yourself of that burden of carrying it around and basically just giving another person some power over you? I'd just betcha that in most cases when someone is harbouring unforgiveness in their heart against somebody, that that person probably isn't even aware of the offense. Too much time and effort is expended on waiting for someone to be sorry.
I think we all need a confidant, whether it be a spouse or a best friend (same thing for me), but it has to be someone you can trust with everything. That's a hard thing to find. I've opened myself up a few times in the past and everytime it seems to have become fodder for them. Some things must be too juicy to hold in. I don't know why people do that. I'm probably a poor judge of character. I guess we should seek out someone whose house is in order- like His word says.

Four Wives

Four Wives
Once upon a time there was a rich King who had four wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to the finest of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the best. He also loved the 3rd wife very much and was always showing her off to neighboring kingdoms. However, he feared that one day she would leave him for another. He also loved his 2nd wife. She was his confident and was always kind, considerate and patient with him. Whenever the King faced a problem, he could confide in her, and she would help him get through the difficult times. The King's 1st wife was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. However, he did not love the first wife. Although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her! One day, the King fell ill and he knew his time was short. He thought of his luxurious life and wondered, "I now have four wives with me, but when I die, I'll be all alone." Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I have loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!", replied the 4th wife, and she walked away without another word. Her answer cut like a sharp knife right into his heart. The sad King then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!", replied the 3rd wife. "Life is too good! When you die, I'm going to remarry!" His heart sank and turned cold. He then asked the 2nd wife, "I have always turned to you for help and you've always been there for me. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!", replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave." Her answer struck him like a bolt of lightning, and the King was devastated.Then a voice called out: "I'll go with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." The King looked up, and there was his first wife. She was very skinny as she suffered from malnutrition and neglect. Greatly grieved, the King said, "I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!" In truth, we all have the 4 wives in our lives: Our 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it will leave us when we die. Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, it will all go to others. Our 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for us, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave. And our 1st wife is our Soul. Often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world. However, our Soul is the only thing that will follow us wherever we go. Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only part of us that will follow us to the throne of God and continue with us throughout Eternity.
Thought for the day: Remember, when the world pushes you to your knees, you're in the perfect position to pray.

Legalism Today

Legalism Today
What trivialities do we obsess over, and what weighty matters of the law-justice, mercy, faithfulness- might we be missing? Does God care more about nose rings or about urban decay? Grunge music or world hunger? Worship styles or a culture of violence?
Author Tony Campolo, who makes a regular circuit as a chapel speaker on Christian college campuses, for a time used this provocation to make a point. "The United Nations reports that over ten thousand people starve to death each day, and most of you don’t give a sh--. However, what is even more tragic is that most of you are more concerned about the fact that I just said a bad word than you are about the fact that ten thousand people are going to die today." The responses proved his point: in nearly every case Tony got a letter from the chaplain or president of the college protesting his foul language. The letters never mentioned world hunger.
Much of the behavior considered sinful in my youth is now common practice in many evangelical churches. Although the manifestations have changed, the spirit of legalism has not.~ excerpt from "What’s So Amazing About Grace?" by Philip Yancey

What Is A Habit?

What is a habit?
We spend so much of our time reading, writing and talking about bad habits. We are sometimes consumed with guilt and even allow bad habits to control our lives. People have been destroyed by desires of the flesh. We attempt to break our bad habits while giving little thought to good habits. As with anything else we want, it takes will- the will to create a good habit over a bad one. Sorry to say, there is no magic pill, just determination and patience.
Good habits can play a powerful role in helping us to become consistent. Consistency means repetition; repetition eventually becomes a habit. Proverbs 22:6 says that teaching a child something over and over is the best way to ensure that it stays with them as an adult. If you haven’t made habits out of a daily devotional time, church attendance, prayer, and other godly pursuits, you are making a habit out of being inconsistent in all areas of your life.
Oswald Chambers wrote, "If I am in the habit of steadily facing myself with God, my conscience will always introduce God’s perfect law and indicate what I should do. The point is, will I obey? I have to make an effort to keep my conscience so sensitive that I walk without offense. I should be living in such perfect sympathy with God’s Son, that in every circumstance the spirit of my mind is renewed, and I "make out" at once "what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
If we obey when we hear that still small voice, our new habits will become commonplace and the peace that surpasses all understanding will find us.
JG

STAND and PRAISE

Stand and Praise


I was recently studying in 2 Chronicles during my devotion and was moved by the events that occurred in chapter 20. The king of Judah at that time was Jehoshaphat. Like us, Jehoshaphat was not perfect and made a lot of mistakes, but he truly loved the Lord and tried to do what was right in His sight.
The chapter begins with word coming to the king of an impending attack by other nations. (vs.1-2). I think we could all relate this to the many fears, trials and temptations we face daily. The question then is how did Jehoshaphat deal with this threat. In verse 3, because of his fear, he sought the Lord and called for a nationwide fast. Then all the people came together to seek God’s guidance (vs.4). When everyone was gathered, Jehoshaphat led his people in prayer, proclaiming God’s greatness and power to do all things.(vs.5-12). If we face problems today, either personally or as a church family, we should come together as one and always pray for each other. I feel Jehoshaphat made a bold statement of faith in vs.9 when he said that even if sword, judgement, pestilence, or famine should come upon them, they will stand before God and He will hear and save them. The king understood that they were outnumbered and had no power to defeat the enemy but vowed to keep their eyes on the Father. (vs.12). We too have no power over sin in the flesh, but if we keep our eyes on Him, sin will be defeated. Through a prophet, God spoke to all His people and told them that all they need to do is stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. (vs.15-17) I know I have a tendency to want to pick something back up and try to manipulate it, especially when it seems like He’s not solving the problem as quickly as I would like. If we could just take ourselves out of the equation and stand, we’d realize that the battle is His.
Now let’s take it a bit further. (As if just standing isn’t hard enough sometimes). As we read on, we find that not only did they stand in faith, but before the battle had begun, they stood and praised God with voices high. (vs.19) The king consulted his people and appointed people to sing to the Lord and praise the beauty of holiness. The people then went out before the army. As they started singing and praising, God had already started, so when they came over a rise to look upon the enemy, they were already dead. (vs.21-24). What would happen if the next time we were facing a battle, we STOOD, SANG and PRAISED. You never know, the battle might already be won.
J G

ARE YOU EVER DISTURBED?

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you." John 14:27
There are times when our peace is based upon ignorance, but when we awaken to the facts of life, inner peace is impossible unless it is received from Jesus. When Our Lord speaks peace, He makes peace, His words are ever "spirit and life." Have I ever received what Jesus speaks? "My peace I give unto you" - it is a peace which comes from looking into His face and realizing His undisturbedness.
Are you painfully disturbed just now, distracted by the waves and billows of God's providential permission, and having, as it were, turned over the boulders of your belief, are you still finding no well of peace or joy or comfort; is all barren? Then look up and receive the undisturbedness of the Lord Jesus. Reflected peace is the proof that you are right with God because you are at liberty to turn your mind to Him. If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself. If you allow anything to hide the face of Jesus Christ from you, you are either disturbed or you have a false security.
Are you looking unto Jesus now, in the immediate matter that is pressing and receiving from Him peace? If so, He will be a gracious benediction of peace in and through you. But if you try to worry it out, you obliterate Him and deserve all you get. We get disturbed because we have not been considering Him. When one confers with Jesus Christ the perplexity goes, because He has no perplexity, and our only concern is to abide in Him. Lay it all out before Him, and in the face of difficulty, bereavement and sorrow, hear Him say, "Let not your heart be troubled."

Interesting article on technology

VIEWPOINT
Virtual Christianity: Evangelicals, America, and the Big Show
by Glenn R. Paauw
The great machines of our technological age produce some very powerful entertainment. Today’s typical teenager, raised on Sesame Street, Saturday morning cartoons, commercials, and now MTV, has been treated to an impressive display of technological images, all moving at an incredible speed before his or her mesmerized eyes. And this is just the beginning. Already we are fast-forwarding to a whole new world with an even better show.
The next step is what is called Virtual Reality. This electronically created experience "tricks" one’s brain into thinking it is in a real three-dimensional place. Instead of merely watching images on a screen, one now enters the world of images.
Already there is talk of fascinating applications of this new entertainment supermachine, including virtual rock concerts, virtual war games, and virtual sex. And, given the current culture, is there any doubt that few limits (if any) will restrain those applications? After all, the new, powerful technologies do not improve human nature; they merely magnify the depths of the human heart.
What would evangelicals do if they had Virtual Reality at their fingertips? It’s a troublesome question. American evangelicals have had a long, well-documented love affair with technological progress. We’ve married the Great Commission to the great machines with the oft-repeated blessing, "The message doesn’t change, merely the method." Believing that the old, old story can be told equally well in any new, new medium, evangelicals have excelled at delivering the message in culturally relevant forms.
There are many reasons for evangelicalism’s technological optimism. More than a few historians have noted the strength of the bond between American culture and our expression of the Christian faith. The strands of that bond include a deep commitment to individualism, a depreciation of history and tradition, and a tendency toward popularization and anti-intellectualism. Combine these forces with the essentially free-market orientation of our vast empire of parachurch ministries and publishers, and the result is an innovative, entrepreneurial spirit. New, market-driven expressions of the faith thrive in this environment.
Today, evangelical enterprises are working overtime to keep in step with the visually dominated, fast-paced, technological times. We have Nintendo-like Bible adventure video games, cartoon versions of Jesus’ parables, music videos showing Satan and his demons being shot down in a Western-style gunfight, and Jesus as the leather-jacketed leader of a Christian street gang.
All these phenomena should compel us to examine more closely our enthusiasm for the electronic gospel. Why do we so naively assume that these powerful new media are really neutral conveyers of our cherished timeless truths? It is time to ask not just the usual "Will the technology reach more people?" but more importantly, "What message will actually get through?"
In fact, the new forms of communication are increasingly biased against a "message" at all (in the sense of communicating rationally understood content). The dominant media today form a funnel, allowing only the visually stimulating, emotionally exciting, and lightning-paced to reach us. But evangelicals seem unaware that when a particular medium follows its own strengths, it necessarily shapes and molds what is communicated.
One might attempt to fight the medium by producing content-heavy lectures on television, but that’s "bad television" and it won’t survive. Boring video games won’t sell. In the end, the medium calls the shots.
We would like to believe, of course, that the technology itself is neutral, able to be used for good or ill. But this neutrality is true only in the most limited of moralistic senses. To plug in Bible stories to replace pornography ignores the similar structure of the experiences. The shifts toward the new, the fast, the exciting — these are not neutral biases. They change the very way we live and relate and understand. The fact is, the electronic media have been remaking our message for some time.
It’s not that evangelicals haven’t confronted today’s media-saturated world; they have. But the preoccupation has been primarily with the surface effects, the moral content of the various electronic media. Our products simply try to add "values" to all the entertainment.
Authentic expressions of the depth of Christian theology do not fare very well in this environment. High-tech popularizations of our faith have little regard for the more serious, less action-packed material in the Bible. It is no accident that video Christianity tends to be Christianity lite — a faith minus the meat and reduced most often to moralisms. Cartoon Christianity tends to be just that — laughable.
A recent Christian video, for example, uses animation to turn biblical depictions of the pain of violence into cartoons on the level of Roadrunner and Coyote. When my kids viewed the video’s depiction of the man on the road to Jericho being beat up, they thought it was funny. The production itself turned violence into slapstick. They were supposed to laugh, despite the intention of the original Author. In this case the medium — an animated cartoon on video — reshaped the message and miscommunicated the Bible’s meaning.
Everywhere, on all sides, the pressure mounts to conform to the onslaught of visual media. To compete with the powerful visuals of the electronic show, print media are trying to adapt. We see shorter articles, bigger type, more white space, action photos, and computer-enhanced design. Bibles must be simplified — even for adults. To get any attention at all, reading material must become what it is not, trying to match TV’s sound-bites for brevity and its flashy imagery for visual appeal.
On these terms, reading material doesn’t stand much of a chance. After all, behind that shiny hologram on the Bible cover, one still must deal with all those laws in Leviticus and complicated passages in Romans. Who can make it through that stuff anymore?
It is ironic indeed that despite the impressive array of excellent study Bibles, commentaries, dictionaries, and other helps available to us, as a group we could not answer even the simplest questions about the Bible when George Barna’s researchers interviewed us. If we honestly look at the results that matter, not merely annual sales figures and units moved, we have to admit that something has gone wrong. Biblical illiteracy is a problem among born-again believers, people who have been reached but now spend more time watching the Show than reading the Book.
So what is a culturally relevant ministry to do? Switch to a shorter, easier, faster version of everything? Admit that in the age of the 3.5-second attention span the One-Minute Bible just takes too long? Get over our outdated obsession with black marks on flattened, dried-out wood pulp and start producing 24-hour-a-day Christian MTV?
How does a religion based on a substantial amount of content from a book survive in this environment? Increasingly, it survives in a reduced form — less to know, but more to see and feel and experience. This shorter, easier, faster Christianity is a diminished Christianity.
Will the show go on? Will we continue to fall all over ourselves in the rush to inject some values into the latest electronic medium? Unfortunately, we seem to be well on our way to Virtual Christianity. Given our history of adoring technology, of falling under its spell like everyone else, we will soon see the Virtual Reality "Battle of Armageddon" Bible adventure game. How else will we reach the video game generation with the good news?
And what could be more effective for evangelism than Virtual Bibleland? Who could possibly resist a gospel appeal after actually being there at the Crucifixion and hearing the Roman centurion say, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"? But perhaps we will only get Virtual Conversions — thrilling, moving, exciting — but not quite real when the machine gets turned off.
Can we stop and think before our Christianity becomes virtual and our faith becomes less than real?
I am not advocating a mindless fear of the new and strange, like some 1940s fundamentalist Christian condemning motion picture technology to hell. By now we have had some experience with various electronic and visual media. It’s time for a tough, hard look at their real-life effects and lasting impact. Although it goes against the grain of our instincts as American evangelicals, perhaps we should rethink our participation in the Big Show.
First, when we do decide that a particular technology is appropriate for our use, we must still be frank with ourselves about its strengths and its weaknesses. What are the biases of this new technology? What distortions of Christianity might this medium foster? Our televangelists, for instance, apparently did not stop to think what their television techniques would do to the message they brought. In contrast, we must commit to using new methods thoughtfully, critically, and carefully.
Second, more time, energy, and resources must be put into efforts to move people beyond the artificial life offered by new technologies to the authentic life of following Jesus in the real world. This authentic life involves knowing His Word and living His ways.
The experiences produced by the new technologies are addicting. Everyone is "wowed" by them. But hypnotized videots cannot relate very significantly with others, nor experience much of God’s full creation. Real social interaction and group experiences are decreasing in our culture as more and more people enjoy their own isolated experience of the show. Attempting to "redeem" video games, television, and personal computers by adding moralistic content is not going to change that.
We talk fervently about "reaching people," about bringing the good news to a new generation that doesn’t read books or listen to long sermons. But do we really think that once we’ve contributed to their ongoing entertainment, albeit with the gospel, they will willingly and easily turn into reflective Christians that meditate on God’s written Word? What steps are we taking to make sure this happens?
In fact, it is not happening. Maybe the way we are reaching people has something to do with the kind of Christians they are becoming. Our all-consuming drive for "relevance," revealed especially in our embrace of entertainment, has not produced disciples of Jesus so much as shallow fun-seekers.
Evangelical Christians rightly seek to "reach people where they are" — even in the entertaining world of the technoshow. The question today is whether we are content to leave people where we reach them. Even more perplexing is the question, "Have we ourselves comfortably settled in with them?"
Real Christianity means we must live our lives, work out our relationships, raise our children, and fulfill our mission in real reality. It means getting to know our neighbors, playing outside with our kids, serving meals at our local street mission, or taking a walk with a friend to just talk.
Evangelicals have done all they can to match the technical quality of the Big Show, while making sure the fun is good fun. But it’s time to offer something more. The frenetic pace of the electronic media produces restlessness and disquiet. Too often what we’re left with, even after the values-added versions, is mere agitation. The Bible causes us to realize that God’s salvation brings rest and peace. As one of the Reformation catechisms (the Heidelberger) reminds us, we can "begin already in this life the eternal Sabbath." How truly refreshing it would be to our frantic world if we fulfilled our role as agents of this rest, of God’s shalom, rather than merely imitating the agitators.
God has revealed Himself as the Word. He came and walked among us in the flesh. For real. He is a majestic God whose profound depths we can never fully communicate to the world. But we can take the time to pass on what we know faithfully. Our current temptation is to reduce Him to the slick, the silly, and finally, the unreal. It doesn’t have to be this way. We don’t have to settle for Virtual Christianity.
Glenn R. Paauw is product development manager for International Bible Society, Colorado Springs, CO and an elder at Covenant Presbyterian Church.

A Poem

Dirty Knees

I lie awake. I toss and turn.
I long for this. For that I yearn.

I work all day and fret at night.
So many bills. What is my plight?

I go to church and praise God's name.
Where's my reward? Is this a game?

Nowhere to turn, I start to cry-
fall to my knees and ask God why?

That's when it hits me clear as day.
I never took the time to pray.

I lift my eyes to God above.
There on that floor I'm filled with love.

I see a man knelt in a garden,
and on a cross Our sins He pardoned.

My daily worries now seem so small.
He prayed for us-then gave it all.

So through life's trials and tragedies,
you'll find clean hearts on dirty knees.